1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a method and system for sensing and rectifying pellet shaped articles for subsequent modification, processing, and/or inspection. In particular, the invention relates to a system that senses articles and rectifies them in a predetermined orientation for subsequent modification (e.g., printing). Following modification, the articles can be inspected for quality using an inspection system.
2. Background of the Invention
To ensure that a person is taking the proper dosage of medication, certain markings should be placed on the medication so that the person can be assured that he or she is taking the proper medications and in the proper dosages. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration requires certain markings for the safety of a consumer. These markings may include brand names, batch numbers, dosage amounts and the name of the manufacturer.
To print markings (e.g., indicia) on pellet shaped articles, many material orientation and printing devices have been devised. The printing devices include spin printers, laser printers and ink jet printers. One such example of material orientation and printing devices is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,702 to Ackley. This invention discloses an apparatus for processing, rectifying, orienting and imprinting indicia upon capsules that have dissimilar ends. In general, the invention includes three rotatable drums in tangential arrangement. Each drum is simultaneously rotated about an axis while transferring the capsules to each individual drum so as to properly orient them. After proper gravity orientation of the capsules, a spin printer prints indicia on the capsules.
It can also be desirable to print indicia on or modify both sides of the medication, whether it be capsules, tablets, pills or other types of medications. The foremost reason that printing indicia on both sides of the tablets is so important is for the safety of the consumer, e.g., when indicia is printed on both sides of tablets it is less likely that the consumer will consume the wrong medication. Additionally, when printing is performed on both sides of the tablets more information can be printed on the medication, e.g., the name of the manufacturer and the name of the medication. This will also assist the consumer in choosing the proper medication in the proper dosages. Of course, it may also be desirable to print indicia on or otherwise modify ends and/or edges of regularly or irregularly shaped pellet shaped articles.
There are known systems that print indicia on both sides of tablets. However, these systems are not designed to print indicia on tablets having different colored sides. In order to print indicia on tablets having different colored sides, a system must be able to sense that the proper colored side of the tablet faces each printer. This involves properly rectifying and orienting the tablets to ensure that the proper colored side of the tablet is being printed. It also involves having a proper printing indicia color to ensure that the printed indicia is visible.
To further complicate matters, it may be necessary to print indicia of different colors on different colored sides of the tablets. In these instances, it is not only necessary to rectify, orient and print on one side of the colored tablets, but for both sides. This involves first rectifying and orienting the tablets so that indicia can be properly printed on one side of all of the tablets and then repeating this process for the other (non-printed) side of the tablets. It is also imperative in this type of system to have printed indicia that is visible on both sides of the tablets. In systems in which printed matter matches the color of the reverse base color, it is particularly important to ensure that the proper side of the tablet receives the printed matter because the indicia would not be visible on the tablet due to insufficient contrast between the printed matter and the base color.
It is also very important for the manufacturer to carefully inspect the medication for defects, such as incorrect shape or printing, before the medication is distributed to the consumer. This is to ensure that the quality of the product is at the highest standards in order to protect the safety of the consumer. In most instances, current inspection systems allow many defective products to reach the consumer. Thus, a more reliable inspection system is needed to ensure the quality of the product and, in turn, to protect the safety of the consumer.